The automotive industry invests billions of dollars in new technologies, new power trains and new vehicle concepts to reduce vehicle fuel consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, worldwide lawmakers are legislating the development of new technologies or changing tax, penalty, and incentive systems to cut down on green house gas emissions and to develop new sources of revenue. Greenhouse gases undesirably absorb and emit radiation within the Earth's atmosphere, causing a “greenhouse effect”. Attention to curb greenhouse gases has focused on carbon dioxide (CO2), because CO2 is created through ever-increasing combustion engines burning fossil fuels.
FIG. 1, as reported by the World Resources Institute, shows several climate change proposals introduced during the 110th United States Congress, between Jan. 3, 2007and Jan. 3, 2009. Each of the proposals introduced legislation to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in the United States, specifically CO2 emissions.
Because of forthcoming legislation coupled with high energy prices and demand, as well as increasing environmental awareness, many consumers are shifting their purchasing power to fuel-efficient vehicles, smaller vehicles, as well as vehicles with smaller engines. In fact, many consumers are foregoing personal transportation for public transportation. In order to survive or gain a larger market share, many automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are reorganizing their long-term goals. Many OEMs have become more conscience of the philosophy and social movement seeking to improve the environment. As a result, some OEMs are developing concept vehicles, such as Chevrolet's Volt, or fuel-saving technology, such as BMW's Efficient Dynamics found in the Mini.
Although the new products and technologies are an attempt by the OEMs to curb greenhouse gas emissions, expected substantial global growth within the automotive industry will maintain high or even increase greenhouse gas emissions. As reported by the Australian Government - Department of the Environment, FIG. 2 illustrates the amount of greenhouse gas emissions using different forms of transportation. Considering that a majority of people continue to use private transportation, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions will continue to increase. As reported by the United Nations, nearly 77% of the greenhouse gases, emitted into the atmosphere, were CO2 molecules, and nearly 9% of the CO2 came from vehicles (see FIG. 3;). Therefore, new approaches to curb greenhouse gas emissions are being proposed in addition to new technologies and products. Specifically, greenhouse gas compensation/offsetting programs are being developed and offered to promote renewable energies and energy efficient technologies. New companies and organizations, such as CARBONEUTRAL, ATMOSFAIR, and MYCLIMATE, are offering these programs, whereby they partner with different companies to offer customers the ability to offset CO2 emissions.
For instance, Volvo Swiss has partnered with Myclimate, whereby Volvo customers will have the opportunity to offset the annual CO2 emissions of their vehicle, by buying a sticker developed by the company, the customer will be paying 50% to support a climate protection project in India and 50% to support a project in Switzerland. Volvo customers can purchase an “Annual CO2 Sticker”. These stickers are available for three different fuel consumption categories. The revenue generated through the sale of the stickers will go to a climate protection project in India, as well as projects in Switzerland. The Volvo/Myclimate sticker is valid for one calendar year, and can be renewed annually. Since the sticker is attached to the inside of the windshield, the customer also has the ability to display the contribution to the selected program.
Many companies and customers are looking to become carbon neutral, or having a zero carbon footprint. This is achieved by balancing a measured amount of CO2 released with an equivalent amount sequestered or offset.
More specifically, the CO2 released by a vehicle may be balanced with use of renewable energy. Renewable energy creates a similar amount of useful energy that could be made using carbon based energy, so that the carbon emissions are compensated or offset. Alternatively, use of renewable energies generally does not produce CO2. It is also possible to perform carbon offsetting, by paying others (companies) to remove or sequester 100% of the CO2 emitted from the atmosphere. These companies receive money or sell credits, with proceeds used, for example, in planting trees or funding “carbon projects” that assist in prevention of future greenhouse gas emissions.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,341 discloses a method of facilitating the trade of emission allowances and offsets among participants, which includes establishing and emission reduction schedule for certain participants based on emission reduction schedule for certain participants based on emissions information provided by those participants and determining debits or credits for each certain participant in order to achieve the reduction schedule. A computer-based system, is disclosed, which includes means for establishing an emission reduction schedule for certain participants based on emissions information provided by those participants and means for determining debits or credits for each certain participant in order to achieve the reduction schedule. FIG. 4 shows an exemplary display of a graphical user interface of patent '341, illustrating of the level of participation required by the participant, including location, types of energy reporting units, activities etc.
The system includes (a) debits or credits representing emission reduction amounts based on the emissions information or activities of environmental benefactors, and (b) means for conducting trades of the debits or credits between the participants to enable each participant to achieve its reduction schedule.
The '341 patent further discusses methods for computing greenhouse gas emission or emission reduction equivalents including a participant providing activity data based on an energy consumption or conservation activity and associated with selectable activity units (see FIG. 5). The method discloses a converting of the activity data to one of greenhouse gas emission or greenhouse gas emission reduction equivalents in order to compute the greenhouse gas emissions or emission reduction equivalents. The equivalents conform to standard values that are then traded between participants. The factor can be based at least in part upon a location feature that is related to the geographic location of the energy activities and that is associated with selectable geographic locations. Activity data can be received from the participant, in which the activity data is based on an energy consumption or conservation activity and associated with selectable activity units. A factor for converting the activity data to one of greenhouse gas emission or greenhouse gas emission reduction equivalents can be applied, in which the factor is based on the type of energy activity and the selected activity unit to compute the greenhouse gas emissions or emission reduction equivalents to confirm whether the participant's information on amounts of greenhouse gas emission or emission reduction equivalents to be traded is accurate (see FIGS. 6 and 7).
Although the patent discuss a method to reduce or offset greenhouse gases, the method requires participants to provide the emissions information, and determines the debits or credits in order to achieve reduction schedules solely based on emissions information or activities of environmental benefactors provided by the participant. The patent only facilitates the trading of the debits or credits between the participants and is based on equivalents that conform to standard values, or estimates. The discussed system requires information and interaction by the participant, and lacks the ability to choose between packaged offsetting programs, professionally managed for the participant. Rather, the participant is required to trade debits and credits with other participants.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,014 discloses a mobile, on-board emissions testing system, as shown in FIG. 8, which is transferable between different vehicles, and provides for a real-time determination of mass flow rates of various gaseous pollutants based on the actual exhaust gas flow rate and which requires no modifications to the vehicle to be tested. The mobile vehicle, on-board testing system, includes a module designed to be detachably mounted on a vehicle to be tested and support means for detachably fixing the module to a body portion of the vehicle. A downstream gas analyzer detects concentrations of each of a plurality of gaseous pollutants within the exhaust gas, as sampled through the downstream sample tube. A computer serves as a calculating means for calculating mass flow rates for each of the gaseous pollutants based on the detected concentrations and the detected flow rate of the exhaust gas.
The computer-based emissions measurement system, discussed, is designed to be used on a moving vehicle, measuring the real-time mass emissions (grams) of plural gases, e.g. hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen (O2), and nitrogen oxide (NO). Vehicle speed and distance traveled is also measured using a global positioning system (GPS) and/or by monitoring the speed signal sensed by the vehicle's on-board computer. The results of the mass measurements, the gas concentrations, exhaust gas flow rate, air/fuel ratio, fuel economy, etc., are all displayed and updated in real-time on the computer, as well as stored in a data file of the computer (see FIG. 9).
Although the '014 patent discloses an on-board computer-based emissions measurement system, the system is designed to monitor the emissions performance of vehicles on the road in order to meet exhaust gas emission standard. Therefore, the measurement is needed to identify gaseous emissions, fuel economy, engine, and vehicle operating parameters.
Ideally, an emission calculation system coupled with a way of offsetting those measured emissions is needed.